Why use Sports Tape?

In most cases, rigid sports tape is used post-injury during sporting activities. When applied in the correct manner, the tape provides support to muscle and ligament injuries, allowing athletes to return to their favorite sports with more confidence. The value of sports tape is that you can restrict, for example, movement of a body part in a particular direction. In the case of ankle strapping you may want to restrict the inward-outward movement (inversion) where the ankle is weak, but maintain some flexibility in dorsi flexion (up down). Sports Tape is also said to provide you with a proprioceptive 'reminder' that a particular body part is weaker due to injury, thus may be more susceptible to re-injury.

Sports Tape is almost always applied using an overlapping technique, where you first set 'anchors' and then bind over the top of the first layer enough to suit the level of support required. Generally speaking, a professional practitioner such as a physiotherapist is the best person to consult regarding the correct taping techniques (incorrect use of tape may not provide any support which is not only a waste of money but may give a false sense of security that an injury has some protection).